A Knife of Oblivion by Kate Avery Ellison

Author:Kate Avery Ellison [Ellison, Kate Avery]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-04-12T22:00:00+00:00

PART THREE

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Finding

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

MORNING LIGHT PAINTED the streets of the Nyrian capital pale gold as Kael and Auberon approached the ships Kael’s sources had informed him were bound for Bhan. They were disguised in plain Tyyrian garb to look like uninteresting travelers, the kind with enough money to be paid attention to, but only in passing. Kael wore plain black trousers and a brown cowl, and at a glance, he could easily pass as a young Tyyrian expatriate of modest means. Auberon’s long, pale hair had been dyed brown to make him less strikingly memorable, and he was swathed in the dark gray and orange robes of a Tyyrian scholar, with leather gloves drawn over his metal ones so as not to attract attention to their peculiarity. The key to the metal gloves was around Kael’s neck. Together, they appeared to be of mixed race, perhaps the offspring of a Tyyrian father and Austrisian mother.

It was doubtless enough to fool a greedy ship’s captain.

“That one,” Auberon said, indicating the ship that looked most like the one from the sea-woman’s mind. “I don’t know that it’s the same ship, but it looks very much like it.”

As they grew closer, Auberon’s breath hissed. “It says Banaclees on the side,” he breathed.

“Don’t get your hopes up. There could be many ships with that name,” Kael answered under his breath. “Regardless, this will take us where we want to go.”

Kael paid the ship’s cabin boy a gold coin to summon his captain, who appeared a few minutes later with an expression of skepticism and annoyance as he descended the gangplank toward them. Behind him, his men scurried over the ship, lowering the sails and conveying cargo aboard. There were no signs of illegal passengers, not that there would be.

“My name is Alif,” Kael said to the captain, speaking Nyrese with a thick Tyyrian accent. He indicated Auberon with a dismissive wave of his hand. “This is my brother, Berez. He’s both deaf and dumb.” Kael cheerfully ignored the furious look Auberon shot him. “We can pay for our passage in gold. Half now, half when we reach Bhan.”

The captain looked them both over, his brow wrinkling as if he found them fools—fools whose money he was more than willing to take. He grunted. “We don’t usually take passengers,” he said in his thick, accented Austrisian. “Haven’t got much room for it.”

“We’ll pay double the usual fare,” Kael added.

“But perhaps for you two, we can make an exception,” the captain said hastily, flashing them a greedy smile as he reached out one weathered hand for the first payment. He pocketed the bag quickly. “We set sail at noon. If you aren’t here, we’ll leave you behind.”

As soon as they were out of earshot, Auberon whirled on Kael. “Deaf and dumb?” he snapped, his expression twisting into a fearsome Seeker stare that promised torture and dismemberment. Several passersby scurried away at the sight of it, muttering in alarm.

“I thought it would keep you out of trouble,” Kael said, lifting one eyebrow, unmoved by Auberon’s murderous expression.

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